Police: Ax-wielding man kills ex-wife in New Orleans suburb

CHALMETTE, La. (AP) — Authorities say an ax-wielding man attacked his ex-wife in front of her home as she was leaving for work, killing her.

Deputy Chief John Doran of the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office told reporters it happened Wednesday morning in Chalmette, a New Orleans suburb.

Deputies responding to a call about the attack found the woman, 48-year-old Kimberly Owens, critically injured. She later died at the scene.

Family members of the woman told deputies the attacker was her ex-husband.

The suspect, identified by the sheriff's office as 56-year-old Mark Owens, ran away from the scene but later turned himself in. He was being held at the St. Bernard Parish jail, facing a second-degree murder charge.

The sheriff's office did not immediately return a phone call seeking more information.